HUNTING for T R E A S U R E S! - Divers for the environment

Edition 2 Vol. 1
August 2004
- Divers for the environment-
-
HUNTING for
T
R
E
A
S
U
R
E
S!
Clean Up Arabia
SEPTEMBER 17TH!
YOU can make a
Difference!"
How lucky were the divers at Mamzar beach?)
Plus! Interview with DTCM, Gala Dinner Photos,
Facts about Seas & Oceans, Jokes and more…
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Dear Reader,
It is always nice to be successful, but
I believe it is much nicer to share the
success with the people who made I
sot.
I felt so proud when I shared EDA's
successful events with more than 300
people who attended our annual Gala
dinner for the year 2004, I could tell
that people were proud to be an EDA
member. Lots of new things happened
at this year's Gala dinner; we saw
scuba divers trying to dance Salsa
(Thanks to Jimmy), we listened to
some great talks from Bill (DSDC)
and Ahmad bin Byat (EDA) & from
our guest of honour Mr. Guwen
Romero. People won some fantastic
prizes through our raffle and I am
grateful to the people at Emirates
Towers who helped to prepare this
Gala Dinner.
But, I have to say, it was amazing to
see the diving industry come together
& participate in the exhibition, I
believe this was the highlight of the
night, hold on wait, my highlight of
the night was seeing divers out of
their diving gear or shorts, & all
dressed up. I didn’t even recognize
some of them.’ Ladies & Gentlemen,
you were stunning and I’m sure you
all broke hearts that night.
I want to say again "Thank you,
shukran" to all of you who
supported and helped to make
EDA successful, and I promise
all of you that we will keep up the
good work.
Eco Regards,
Ibrahim N. Al-Zu'bi
Director -Environment & Research Dept.
Emirates Diving Association.
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Recent Event……
EDA’s 4th Annual Treasure Hunt Diving Competition
EDA teamed up with the Dubai Police at Al Mamzar beach on July 30th to host an
Underwater Treasure Hunt for EDA members, friends and families. Divers lined up along
the shore edge and waited in anticipation for the signal to be given, allowing divers (after
completing buddy check) to race into the water and begin their search.
With exciting prizes on offer, divers were full of hope, complete with torches and
compasses to increase their chances of success. Efforts were hampered by the poor
visibility underwater as the silt/sand was stirred up and divers groped blindly on the
sandy bottom. Some lucky individuals retrieved the numbered bricks and brought a
maximum of 3 each back to the shore.
Photos (left clockwise)
1.Gurt & Fiona with recovered bricks (incl.
a brick from the previous year) 2. EDA
divers entering the water 3. EDA staff
ready to give away the prizes on the
stadium.
Everyone gathered at the
stadium where the divers
placed their hands in the lucky dip to see
what prizes they had won!
Some won more than 1 DVD
player and our youngest member
won 2 irons…. other prizes
included underwater cameras,
scooters, microwaves, diving fins,
and much more. If you regret not
being there…well you’ll just have
to wait for 2005. We look forward
to next year already!!
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
CURRENT PROJECT UPDATES!
Many thanks to all those who took part and made the day as enjoyable as it was!
Mooring buoy Update
Additional dive sites have now
been scheduled to receive a
system of mooring buoys. The
Car Cemetery will be the next
location to receive 2 mooring
buoys. Extra weight will also be
placed on the existing mooring
at Martini Rock due to the
larger boats now using the area.
Reef Monitoring
The Reef Monitoring Committee (RMC) completed their training last July.
July 1st: The Committee of 7 met at Open Beach,
Jumeriah and practiced their skills at monitoring the
substrate (ground material). Aside from the
plentiful floating rubbish there was lots of SI & SD
(see table) to see and surprisingly some HC (incl.
table coral).
July 22nd: The RMC met at Dibba, East Coast to
perform a mock reef-monitoring survey. The divers
were paired up and executed either the: fish,
invertebrate, or substrate identification survey. The
day was rounded up with a visit to the fish farm
near by.
Substrate Type
Code
Hard Coral
Soft coral
Recently Killed Coral
Nutrient Indicator Algae
Sponge
Rock
Rubble
Sand
Silt/Clay
Other
HC
SC
RKC
NIA
SP
RC
RB
SD
SI
OT
EDA would like to give many thanks to Edwin Heynes and his colleagues who gave us a
superb and interactive tour of the fish farm!
FIRST SURVEY: 12th August at Dibba Rock. This is a Marine Reserve on the East
Coast. The data collected will be published on our website at
www.emiratesdiving.com
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Staff members of the Emirates
Diving Association (Laura Bates &
Mohammad Bitar) and the Ministry
of Agriculture & Fisheries (Dr
Osama Wahba) were invited to
participate on a boat cruise
organised for U.A.E. youths by the
Ministry Youth & Leisure 1st-4th
August.
The four day event
departed from Ajman harbour and
headed north, passing the magestic
mountains of Ras Al Khaimah. A 12
hour cruise then took us south to the
Island of Ser Bani Yas, Sheikh
Zayed’s Island; a marine reserve
with plentiful marine sea grass. Our
last port was Dubai via Abu Dhabi
to celebrate National U.A.E. day.
.
The programme for the youths included: team games, drama productions
(covering drugs, the elderly and wealth & power) and folklore dancing. The
activities were interspersed with environmental/educational initiatives. Dr
Osama delivered lectures on the types & importance of corals, Mohammad
gave everyone an introduction to scuba and Laura introduced them to life
under the ocean (showing specimens of sea grass, sea urchins and sponges).
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
CLEAN
UP
ARABIA
Clean Up Arabia is a
project held in conjunction
travel to the east coast, Thursday 16th, special corporate
rates have been negotiated with the Meridian Hotel for
participants in the clean up.
All EDA members & volunteers are encouraged to come &
help clean the beaches and celebrate everyone’s
with the United Nations
environmental initiatives.
Environment Program
(UNEP) – Regional Office of
West Africa (ROWA), the
Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries, Clean Up the World
and International Coastal
Clean Up (ICC). The
campaign has years of
experience around the world,
co-coordinating groups, who
come together for the good of
the earth.
Divers wishing to clean under the seas should bring their
own diving equipment although diving tanks, weights &
boats will be provided if required (contact East Coast
Coordinator: Laura Bates [email protected] Tel:
050-3654914). Fear not, the event won’t all be hard work.
Participants will have time to relax and play volley ball,
enjoy a bbq and of course snorkel the fantastic marine life
the East Coast has to offer.
If you are unable to attend the event on the east coast, a
clean up will be held in Abu Dhabi (contact Mrs. Kathleen
The campaign aims to clean
the marine environment from
pollution in addition to
developing the public’s
Russell [email protected] Tel:050-6430484 for
further details).
Photo (i): Turtles
are
frequently
attitude to maintaining a
seen along the
clean and sound environment
East
through practice and
U.A.E.
participation.
Discarded
Coast;
nets
can be fatal to
This year the event will
these creatures.
be held on the Friday
17th September 2004 at
Photo (ii): Plastic bags in the
marine
the Le Meridian – Al
prey of the green turtle. As a
(Dibba, Fujeirah) on the
result turtles die after ingesting
the plastic.
If you would like to
Photos source: www.noaanews.noaa.gov/ stories/s2093.htm
Tel: 04-3939390
often
mimic jellyfish, the primary
Aqah Beach Resort
East Coast of the U.A.E.
environment
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
SUCCESS IN OCTOBER 2003
Clean
up
Arabia
2003
was
a
environment increases each year.
success. The beach clean
Recycled plastic takes 70% less
up
30
energy to produce than new
participants,
plastic (www.cleanup.com.au). If
had
over
volunteer
many of whom were
not
school
moisture resistant bags float easily in air & on water
children
with
their families; collecting
debris found
recycled
the
lightweight,
traveling huge distances.
on the
beach stretching approx.
The potential devastation to marine wildlife has been
500 meters.
recognized by Denmark & Ireland who have placed a
levy on plastic bags to reduce consumption. Perhaps
A sample of the items
Dubai should too?
collected was recorded
on data sheets provided
by
The
Ocean
Conservancy.
results
can
The
be
seen
below.
Plastic
Bags
were
the
most
commonly found item,
followed by ropes and
plastic bottles.
Plastic
does
not
decompose and as a
result the amount of
plastic
in
the
Tel: 04-3939390
Top 12 Items from Beach
Clean Up
(Composed by Edwin Heynes)
Debris items
1. Plastic Bags
2. Ropes
3. Plastic Bottles
4. Glass Bottles
5. Fishing line, nets
6. Caps, Lids
7. Building Materials
8. Beverage cans
9. Buoys, floats
10. Clothing, shoes
11. Wood
12. Food Wrappers
Grand Total
Total
No.
Percent
73
22.3
63
19.2
57
17.4
49
14.9
16
4.8
14
4.2
13
3.9
11
3.3
8
2.4
5
1.5
5
1.5
10
3
327 98.40%
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Pearls of Wisdom: A Three-Part Series of Interviews with Key Individuals in Dubai’s Development
With Open Arms:
Is the DTCM’s Tourism
Agenda that Good for
the Environment?
Most Dubai residents are
acutely aware of the
traffic congestion in and
around the city.
Commuting times
increase as the roadways
support more and more
vehicles. Speed and
aggression cause
accidents that only
further strain the traffic
flow. The city currently
supports four million
tourists in addition to
the growing number of
residents.
Can you imagine the
traffic problem when the
number of tourists will
increase by 375% in just
five years?! Gulp.
The Department of
Tourism and Commerce
Marketing (DTCM) is
hoping to welcome 15
million tourists by the
end of the decade. As
one of the arms of the
Tel: 04-3939390
government and a key
component of the non-oil
sector of gross domestic
product, tourism is very
important to Dubai.
According to Afra Al
Fahim, Deputy Manager
of Business
Development at DTCM,
the vision statement of
the department says it
all: to position Dubai as the
leading tourism destination
and commercial hub in the
world.
Definitely an exciting
goal, but how can the
city manage this many
people? Already the
number of tourists is
outstripping the number
of hotel rooms available.
Al Fahim noted this
year’s Dubai Shopping
Festival tourists were
forced to find
accommodation in
Sharjah. While this was
beneficial for the
neighbouring emirate,
Dubai would prefer to
house visitors close to
the action.
What this requires is an
incredible amount of
construction, in hotels,
roadways, shopping
centres, sports centres
and so on. All of which
places a greater strain
upon the physical and
living environment.
In my interview with Al
Fahim I wanted to find
out what approach the
DTCM takes toward the
environment. I had read
on their website
(www.dubaitourism.ae)
that the department aims
to strengthen the Dubai
economy through the
development of
“sustainable tourism.”
When asked what this
means, Al Fahim was
unable to provide a
concise definition and
instead mentioned a few
of DTCM’s
environmentally-related
activities. In particular,
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
the Environmental Task
Force (ETF)—a
committee of individuals
from independent
hoteliers and tour
operators, and the
DTCM—was established
in 2001 to identify
environmentally
sustainable practices in
the field of tourism.
While Al Fahim was
correct in her assertion
that the ETF has the
potential to be proactive,
it remained unclear
whether the conclusions
of the body become
standards for all to
follow, or remain
suggestions adopted by
the more conscientious.
Before construction can
begin on any new
building an
environmental impact
assessment must be
submitted to Dubai
Municipality (DM). Of
course, what is stated on
paper does not always
come into being. The
DTCM has a wonderful
opportunity to
implement high
environmental standards
at the level of operation
because they issue the
required licenses.
However, of all the areas
covered in the DM’s
environmental impact
assessment, the only one
the DTCM actively
inspects is health and
cleanliness. That said, it
is encouraging to know
that anyone can file a
complaint against an
Tel: 04-3939390
hotelier or tour operator
for unhygienic and/or
unclean practices. In fact,
the department should
encourage people to alert
them to any
environmentally
unsound operation.
This is only possible if
individuals know what
to look for. Al Fahim
sees a marked difference
between foreigners and
locals in their awareness
toward the environment
and sustainability.
Photo: Ms. Afra Al Fahim
According to her, people
from abroad are well
educated in comparison
to locals who can be
careless due to their lack
of knowledge; though
she notes an
improvement of late.
Toward this end the ETF
is involved in awareness
campaigns and cleanups.
When I asked what
makes Dubai so great, Al
Fahim enthusiastically
replied, “Everything!”
The cosmopolitan nature
of the city combined
with the expansive
desert, rugged terrain,
and crystal blue waters
are appealing to many. If
Dubai wants to continue
marketing its natural
resources it will have to
manage them
appropriately. This
includes implementing
sustainable and truly
proactive practices in
accommodating and
entertaining the millions
of visitors set to arrive.
The DTCM has a
significant role to play in
this and while some
initiatives have been
made, there is room to
do more.
►By Aimee Holmes
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Litter Litter…
You Can Make A Difference!
To keep our beaches & seas litter free ensure that you, your family, friends & colleagues:
™ Dispose of waste responsibly, and
never drop litter.
™ Bag it and Bin It – NEVER flush
plastic sanitary waste down the
™ Choose items with less plastic
packaging when shopping.
™ Recycle as much rubbish as
possible (don’t just throw it in the
toilet.
™ Take part in Beach Clean-Ups
(especially EDA’s clean up on the
17th September…)
bin).
Impacts of Marine Litter.
Over 100 species of marine
vertebrates and some invertebrate
species
have
been
reported
entangled
in
marine
litter
worldwide. Entanglement can result
in serious injury, death by starvation
and drowning or suffocation. Some
pieces of litter may be ingested by
marine species and sea birds.
Balloons, plastic bags, plastic pellets
are mistakenly ingested resulting in
infections, bioaccumulation of toxic
substances associated with plastic,
fatal blockages of an animal’s
digestive system and starvation. In
addition, marine litter is unsightly
and beach users and divers seek out
areas free of debris.
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Decomposing – How long does it
take?
Take a guess how long some items
take to decompose naturally:a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Aluminium cans?
Paper?
Tin cans?
Plastic bags?
Milk Cartons?
Cigarette filter?
Orange peels/banana skins?
Plastic containers?
Approximate Answers: a. 80 - 100 years b. 2-5years c. 50
years d. 10 - 20 years e. 5 years f. Up to 10-12 years g. Up to 2
years h. 50-80 years
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
AQUATIC REALM
Divers can be conscientious protectors of the underwater environment!
How Divers Can Protect the Aquatic Realm
(As suggested by PADI for Project A.W.A.R.E.)
1. Dive carefully in fragile aquatic ecosystems, such as coral reefs.
2. Be aware of your body and equipment placement when diving.
3. Keep your diving skills sharp with continuing education.
4. Consider your impact on aquatic life through your interactions.
5. Understand and respect underwater life.
6. Resist the urge to collect souvenirs.
7. If you hunt and/or gather game, obey all fish and game laws.
8. Be a role model for other divers in diving and non-diving interactions with the
environment.
9. Report environmental disturbances or destruction of your dive sites (to EDA).
10. Get involved in local environmental activities and issues.
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
10 Key Facts About Seas & Oceans
1. Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface.
2. More than 90% of the plant’s living biomass is found in the ocean.
3. 80% of all pollution in seas and oceans comes from land-based activities (from
coastal waters & rivers carrying assorted rubbish from far inland).
4. 40% of the world’s population lives within 60kilometers of a coast.
5. Three-quarters of the world’ mega-cities are by the sea.
6. By 2010, 80% of people will live within 100km of the coast.
7. Death & disease caused by polluted coastal waters costs the global economy
US $12.8 billion a year.
8. Plastic waste kills up to 1 million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and
countless fish each year.
9. Sea creatures killed by plastic decompose, the plastic does not! Plastic remains
in the ecosystem to kill again and again!!
10. Harmful algal blooms, caused by an excess of nutrients – mainly nitrogen from
agricultural fertilizers – have created nearly 150 coastal deoxygenated ‘dead
zones’ world wide, ranging from 1 to 70,000 square kilometres.
(Source: UNEP – 2004 ww.unep.org )
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Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Sustainable
Development
……..Worth
Pursing!
The beauty of this idea is
that it still allows for
development, albeit a more
environmentally friendly
one. Instead of saying
“No!,” SD says, “Yes, and
this is how.”
50 years ago scientists and
concerned activists in the
West
professed
that
humankind has a profound
impact
upon
the
environment. Not only
that, they argued that
human activity is not
sustainable or in other
words, our actions will
eventually outstrip that
which Mother Nature can
support. Soon thereafter it
was recognized that this
problem would be best
solved on an international
level.
The hallmarks of SD are its
future-oriented vision and
emphasis on morality. SD
“is development that meets
the need of the present
without compromising the
ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.”1
The reason for this is two
fold: one, pollution does
not care about national
borders and can travel
many kilometres from the
source;
and
two,
implementing eco-friendly
practices can cause lower
productivity
levels
so
countries will be more apt
to comply if they’re
assured other countries are
doing the same.
In 1982 the United Nations
commissioned a team of
international experts to
find the best way to
balance
the
legitimate
concerns
of
the
environment with their
member states’ needs to
progress. Released five
years later, the Brundtland
Report (named after the
team’s Chairwoman Gro
Harlem
Brundtland)
popularized the notion of
sustainable development (SD).
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In other words, we have a
moral responsibility to give
the world to the next
generation as it was given
to us. The problem is that
we may not realize the
world we give is actually
quite different from the one
we
received,
simply
because
environmental
deterioration can take so
long to show noticeable
effects.
Another difficulty is that it
takes an incredible amount
of coordination between
nations to address the issue
adequately and fairly. One
strategy would be to
impose universal standards
of
pollution
control.
Developing countries have
argued that this isn’t fair as
they do not contribute as
much to the degradation of
the environment so they
should not be punished by
sacrificing
their
own
economic and industrial
growth. A more supportive
1
Greene, Owen (1999).
“Environmental Issues,”
Chapter 16 in Baylis and
Smith (eds.) The
Globalization of World
Politics, Oxford University
Press.
approach is for developed
countries
to
assist
developing
ones
with
information sharing and
financial assistance so they
do not have to make the
same
ecologically
unfriendly mistakes.
To this end, the 1992 Rio
Earth Summit saw 150
states
seated
at
the
discussion
table—the
largest gathering of state
leaders in history. This is
evidence
that
the
environment question is of
widespread
importance
and SD is worth pursuing.
It might make more sense
to coordinate efforts on a
regional
basis
where
environmental
problems
are more likely to be shared
and implementation can be
better monitored. The UAE
is involved in a number of
regional
agreements,
including ROPME and
UNEP-ROWA.
Do you know about either
of them or how you as an
individual
can
get
involved?
Go find out via the
following links—if not for
you,
then
for
your
grandchildren!!
www.gpa.unep.org
www.unep.org.bh/
♦ By Aimee Holmes
Intern. -EDA
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Info…..
Riddles
a)
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks,
has a head but never weeps, has a bed, but never sleeps?
b)
The part of a bird that’s not in the sky, it can swim in the
ocean and yet remains dry. What is it?
(Source: http://www.lakesimcoerealestateinfo.com/brainteaser7.html)
Did you know?
Cigarette filters are not
biodegradable. After the
filter gets casually flicked
on the street, nature trail
or beach the wind and
rain typically carry the cigarette into
a watercourse, where the toxic
chemicals that the cigarette filter was
designed to trap leak out into aquatic
ecosystems, threatening the quality
of the water and many aquatic life
forms. Cigarette filters may seem
small, but with an estimated 4.5
trillion butts littered every year, the
toxic chemicals add up.
NEW WEBSITE!!
If you haven’t heard, EDA now have a
new, totally revamped website. If
you’ve not seen it, check out
www.emiratesdiving.com
Pick Up Ten!
Every time you’re on the beach try to
pick up 10 pieces of litter...no more..no
less. The trick is to make it a HABIT and
encourage others to do their part too.
Together
coastline!
we
can
have
a
cleaner
Answers to Riddles: a) A River b) A Bird’s Shadow.
“What did the sea say to the sand”? ……..
“Nothing – it just waved”.
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
An Introduction to AMCAI!
Pioneered by Caroline Walsh, AMCAI
was launched in 2001.
It was
pioneered efforts to allow all persons,
regardless of physical ability to
be able to participate in Marine
Conservation. In addition, it hopes to make
people aware of the direct & indirect economic, tourist
and educational benefits of encouraging physically
challenged and other identified groups to participate
in Marine Conservation.
The organisation has experience in surveying
marine habitats and species, particularly,
baseline surveys of sea grass beds, pipefish
and sea horses. In particular Caroline
gained experience in carrying out
survey work on coral reefs whilst
conducting her undergraduate and
postgraduate projects on “The Health of the Coral
Reefs” in Aqaba in Jordan from 1996-2000.
AMCAI have gathered in Cyprus, Bonaire & the UK. Efforts are currently being
made by EDA to host AMCAI in Dubai at the end of the year and facilitate the reef
monitoring committee and their studies. AMCAI also hope to collaborate with the
Pavilion Dive Centre and develop a training program for disabled divers. For
more information please email Caroline: [email protected] or check out
their website at: www.amca-international.org
Forth-Coming Events
8th September: First talk organized for EDA Members
with Dr Imad Haffar from Nakheel at the Dusit Hotel!
16th-17th September: Clean Up Arabia
EDA Internship
EDA would like to formally welcome Aimee
Holmes to Dubai. Originally from Canada,
Aimee is currently completing a Masters
Degree in Global Studies and has been
studying in Germany, South Africa and India
before reaching the UAE.
She hopes to
develop an understanding of sustainable
development in Dubai whilst gaining a greater
appreciation for environmental issues.
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.
Tel: 04-3939390
Fax: 04-3939391 P.O. Box 33220 – Dubai, U.A.E.